Abstract

The authors compared two sylvicultural treatments intended for controlling plant competition in plantations of young conifers: conventional swamping and the same activity carried out using a biological agent. They evaluated the cardiorespiratory capacity and metabolism of swampers participating in the study, as well as the productivity and quality of the work carried out. This study demonstrates that both treatments lead to the same workload for the workers, but that swamping using a biological agent is two times less effective than the conventional technique. In both cases, the swampers’ heart rate reached levels considered as hazardous under some conditions. The researchers add that monitoring the heart rate is the surest approach for establishing an acceptable alternating work-rest rhythm based on climatic conditions.